The RUTTER Digital Library is set to be a state-of-the-art library of early modern maritime works, bringing to fruition the combined philological, nautical and Digital Humanities expertise of the RUTTER team. Our digital editions are the result of collegial efforts as they go through a rigorous curatorial process, from manuscript and early-printed sources to TEI-compliant XML files.

The first phase of the library, to be completed within the term of our ERC-funded RUTTER project, includes a considered selection of titles, turned hereby into searchable and gradually tagged and actionable texts. The texts chosen include Iberian classics such as the Esmeraldo de situ orbis, lesser known works such as the collections of Derroteros del piloto mayor, and Arabic works of Indian Ocean navigation. We publish only texts in their original languages, with bilingual prefaces and a concise English apparatus upon necessity. In every case these documents, some published here for the first time, illustrate the epoch-making changes brought about by the development of global oceanic navigation and related nautical techniques.

All our editions are produced with direct attention not only to the sources, but also to the most recent and authoritative scholarship available, and as such they are intended as reference works. As we begin to publish our beta versions of what we expect will become a RUTTER early modern reference library, we are most grateful for specific and general feedback from our colleagues and readers around the world.